Big light switch-off hailed a success in Shetland

Shetlanders were the best in Britain when it came to signing up for WWF’s Earth Hour, which encouraged people to switch off their lights for an hour on Saturday night.

Some 355 residents, seven businesses and seven organisations in the isles agreed to take part, the greatest percentage per head of population in the country.

Anona Hughson, waste prevention official with the SIC, one of the organisations that signed up, said: “I was amazed by the level of support from Shetland. Coming out top is a fantastic achievement. The main aim of the Earth Hour campaign was to challenge folk to reassess the way they currently use energy. However, there was also a fun side, with some imaginative pledges being made by people on the website and examples of communities working together on this.”

One example was in Westsandwick where the local public hall opened up for a candle-lit games night and encouraged those who could not make it to put off their lights for the hour.
Rachel Colclough, secretary for the Westsandwick Hall, said: “It was nice the community pulled together and every household did their bit. Turning the power off let us enjoy the lovely starry night!”

Stephen Cooper, head of environment and building services, said: “I would like to pay tribute to the environment and energy team for all their hard work. The level of support we saw at the weekend says a lot about Shetland as a place. It proves that climate change and reducing carbon is something Shetlanders take very seriously.”